System and method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network

1. A system for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network comprising:

a preferred content provider (PCP) datastore comprising PCP matching criteria;

a packet discriminator comprising instructions for:

receiving packets directed downstream to a subscriber on the DOCSIS-compliant network;

extracting packet identifying information from a packet IP header of a packet;

determining if the packet identifying information matches the PCP matching criteria;

if the packet identifying information matches the PCP matching criteria, then modifying the packet IP header to receive a premium service classifier indicative of premium transport; and

routing the packet to the subscriber.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the packet identifying information comprises a packet source IP address.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the PCP matching criteria comprise a stored source IP address.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the packet identifying information further comprises a source port number.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the PCP matching criteria comprise a stored packet IP address and a stored packet port number.

6. The system of claim 2 , wherein the packet identifying information further comprises a type-of-service identifier.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the PCP matching criteria comprise a stored packet source IP address and a type of service identifier.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the premium service classifier indicative of premium transport comprises premium type-of-service bits indicative of premium transport.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising a cable modem termination system (CMTS) and wherein the CMTS comprises instructions for:

receiving the packet routed to the subscriber;

determining whether the packet IP header comprises the premium service classifier;

if the packet IP header comprises the premium service classifier, then selecting a premium downstream service flow; and

directing the packet to the subscriber using the selected premium downstream service flow.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the premium downstream service flow comprises parameters indicative of a minimum reserved traffic rate, a traffic priority, and a maximum downstream latency.

11. The system of claim 1 further comprising a cable modem termination system (CMTS) and wherein the packet discriminator is located at the CMTS.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises an edge server.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the packet discriminator is located at the edge server.

14. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a preferred packet statistics log configured to:

if the packet identifying information matches the PCP matching criteria, then receive the packet identifying information and billing information.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein billing information comprises the premium service classifier, a packet destination IP address, and a date and time the packet was routed to the subscriber.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the PCP matching criteria are associated with a PCP identifier and wherein the billing information further comprises the PCP identifier.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the PCP is a provider of content selected from the group consisting of games, web pages, video content, audio content, photographic content, news content, packet telephony service, and data content.

18. A method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network comprising:

receiving packets directed downstream to a subscriber on the DOCSIS-compliant network;

extracting packet identifying information from a packet IP header of a packet;

determining if the packet identifying information matches preferred content provider (PCP) matching criteria;

if the packet identifying information matches the PCP matching criteria, then modifying the packet IP header to receive a premium service classifier indicative of premium transport; and

routing the packet to the subscriber.

19. The method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network of claim 18 , wherein receiving packets directed to the subscriber on the DOCSIS-compliant network comprises receiving packets directed to the subscriber at an edge server.

20. The method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network of claim 18 , wherein receiving packets directed to the subscriber on the DOCSIS-compliant network comprises receiving packets directed to the subscriber at a cable modem termination system.

21. The method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network of claim 18 , wherein the packet identifying information comprises a packet source IP address.

22. The method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network of claim 21 , wherein the PCP matching criteria comprise a stored source IP address.

23. The method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network of claim 21 , wherein the packet identifying information further comprises a packet source port number.

24. The method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network of claim 23 , wherein the PCP matching criteria comprise a stored packet IP address and a stored packet port number.

25. The method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network of claim 21 , wherein the packet identifying information further comprises a type-of-service identifier.

26. The method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network of claim 25 , wherein the PCP matching criteria comprises a stored packet IP address and a stored type-of-service identifier.

27. The method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network of claim 18 further comprising:

receiving the packet routed to the subscriber at a cable modem termination system;

determining whether the packet IP header comprises the premium service classifier;

if the packet IP header comprises the premium service classifier, then:

selecting a downstream premium service flow; and

directing the packet to the subscriber using the selected premium service flow.

28. The method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network of claim 27 , wherein the premium downstream service flow comprises parameters indicative of a minimum reserved traffic rate, a traffic priority, and a maximum downstream latency.

29. The method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network of claim 18 further comprising:

if the packet identifying information matches the PCP matching criteria, then sending the packet identifying information and billing information to a preferred packet statistics log.

30. The method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network of claim 29 , wherein billing information comprises the premium service classifier, a packet destination IP address, and a date and time the packet was routed to the subscriber.

31. The method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network of claim 30 , wherein the PCP matching criteria are associated with a PCP identifier and wherein the billing information further comprises the PCP identifier.

32. The method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network of claim 18 , wherein a PCP is a provider of content selected from the group consisting of games, web pages, video content, audio content, photographic content, news content, packet telephony service, and data content.

33. A method for providing premium transport to a preferred content provider over a DOCSIS-compliant cable network comprising:

agreeing to provide premium transport to the preferred content provider (PCP);

establishing PCP matching criteria;

extracting packet identifying information from an IP header of a packet;

determining if the packet identifying information matches the PCP matching criteria;

if the packet identifying information matches the PCP matching criteria, then modifying the packet IP header to receive a premium service classifier indicative of premium transport;

providing premium transport over the DOCSIS-compliant cable network to downstream packets originating from the PCP;

storing a measure indicative of premium transport usage by the PCP; and

billing the PCP based on the premium transport usage.

34. The method for providing premium transport to a preferred content provider of claim 33 , wherein determining if the packet identifying information matches the PCP matching criteria is performed at an edge server.

35. The method for providing premium transport to a preferred content provider of claim 33 , wherein determining if the packet identifying information matches the PCP matching criteria is performed at a cable modem termination system.

36. The method for providing premium transport to a preferred content provider of claim 33 , wherein the packet identifying information comprises a packet source IP address.

37. The method for providing premium transport to a preferred content provider of claim 36 , wherein the PCP matching criteria comprise a stored source IP address.

38. The method for providing premium transport to a preferred content provider of claim 36 , wherein the packet identifying information further comprises a packet source port number.

39. The method for providing premium transport to a preferred content provider of claim 38 , wherein the PCP matching criteria comprise a stored packet IP address and a stored packet port number.

40. The method for providing premium transport to a preferred content provider of claim 36 , wherein the packet identifying information further comprises a type-of-service identifier.

41. The method for providing premium transport to a preferred content provider of claim 40 , wherein the PCP matching criteria comprises a stored packet IP address and a stored type-of-service identifier.

42. The method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network of claim 33 further comprising:

receiving the packet routed to the subscriber at a cable modem termination system;

determining whether the packet IP header comprises the premium service classifier;

if the packet IP header comprises the premium service classifier, then:

selecting a downstream premium service flow; and

directing the packet to a subscriber using the selected premium service flow.

43. The method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network of claim 42 , wherein the premium downstream service flow comprises parameters indicative of a minimum reserved traffic rate, a traffic priority, and a maximum downstream latency.

44. The method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network of claim 33 , wherein the measure indicative of premium transport usage by the PCP comprises packet volume.

45. The method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network of claim 33 , wherein the measure indicative of premium transport usage by the PCP comprises a session time.

46. The method for providing premium transport in a DOCSIS-compliant cable network of claim 33 , wherein a PCP is a provider of content selected from the group consisting of games, web pages, video content, audio content, photographic content, news content, packet telephony service, and data content.